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| Lost Gold of the Republic | | Date Created: Nov 06, 2005, 07:37 PM |
 Some background. I've been into shipwreck forensics for a long time. I have many of the books on the Titanic and have read most of them. I also have a lot of US Civil War books and knowledge (the SS Republic sank six months after the Civil War ended). I've also followed the story of the finances of the companies that explore and salvage shipwrecks as well as the technology. I didn't approach this latest discovery, exploration, salvage, and the book about it as a novice. I've even followed Odyssey Marine Exploration via their website and email updates. I also have the poster and the DVD (done by and for National Geographic).
If you can only deal with one book on the discovery and salvage of ships carrying gold, I'd still recommend The Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder. That ship, the SS Central America, sank in 1857 not too far away from where the Republic lies. It carried gold coins and bullion from the California gold fields. Both sank off the Atlantic coast in deep water and because of hurricanes. The company that explored and salvaged that ship had a personal connection because one of the investors was the father of one of my college friends.
And I may be biased or because of the order I read them but I think Ship of Gold is the better book. It reads like a novel, ties in all the different threads of what's involved in these efforts, and was hard to put down. The Lost Gold of the Republic is reasonably well written and handles a number of touchy subjects well but has more of a documentary feel. The DVD by National Geographic is worth it only for the video of the wreck and the artifacts.
That's not to take everything away from Lost Gold of the Republic: The Remarkable Quest for the Greatest Shipwreck Treasure of the Civil War Era by Priit J. Vesilind. It's still a great story about the era, the story of the ship's sinking, the company and investment/business aspects, the search for the ship and its salvage, as well as the contents. There is also a fair amount on shipwreck salvage law and the difficulties that arise when big money is at stake. I was fascinated and saddened to have the abuse of government power highlighted in the way the company that preceded Odyssey was destroyed by the SEC. There is also a running commentary on the tension between archeology for its own sake and treasure hunting for pure financial gain.
I was also interested to learn that William T Nichols who was a colonel in the Battle of Gettysburg and a survivor of the sinking of the Republic, founded the city of Maywood which was the suburb just west of where I grew up in the Chicago area. His great great grandaughter was contacted for the book and DVD and found family archives to further document the life of William Nichols. Like the diamond necklace of the Titanic, Nichols carried a locket with a picture of his wife who died just after learning that her husband had survived the sinking but before he could return to her. The family has the locket and the great great grandaughter has the same first name as her great great grandmother, Thyrza.
Now all I have to do is become a diver or a coin collector...
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